Interesting stat: Foreign nationals accounted for nearly 9 percent of U.S. residential real estate, with more than 50 percent of sales occurring in Arizona, California, Florida, New York and Texas, according to a 2012 National Association of Realtors survey.

Scottsdale broker Sandra Wilken had been in the real-estate business for almost 40 years and owned her own firm for the last 18.

This spring, however, a lucrative growth opportunity meant the luxury-property sales veteran found herself in charge of a brand-new business in some respects.

In March, Wilken’s firm merged with Engel & Völkers, Europe’s largest international premium real-estate firm. The partnership resulted in Wilken’s team doubling in size and her firm’s new name: Engel & Völkers Sandra Wilken Partners.

The appearance of her office was also modified with the clean lines and sleek European designs of Engel & Völkers’ other facilities in 36 countries. Wilken described the look as akin to an Apple store.

“At first it was tough. But I’m embracing change,” Wilken said. “It’s very exciting for us.”

It didn’t take long for Wilken to see the benefits. Calls from European clients seeking an Arizona luxury home to add to their collection confirm that joining forces with the Hamburg, Germany-based firm was the right move.

“We got to the point where we were doing extremely well. We could’ve sat back and said, ‘We’re not changing anything,’ ” Wilken said of her company prior to the partnership. “Going through transition is not easy, but we see the big picture. Is it going to help us grow? One-hundred percent, yes.”

Wilken launched Sandra Wilken Luxury Properties in her guesthouse with a staff of two employees in 1995. Today, she runs the company from a space that is twice that size and overlooks a golf course.

Wilken had already built an impressive resume and reputation in the luxury sector of the real-estate industry, working for sumptuous properties like Gainey Ranch and The Phoenician. Still, she took nothing for granted.

“I’ll never forget that first day when we were first on our own. We looked at each other and said, ‘Is the phone going to ring?’ ” Wilken recalled.

Her business savvy in marketing and sales prepared her to be proactive when she went solo. A strong public-relations push unexpectedly put Wilken on three different magazine covers in one month.

“The phone started ringing, and it never stopped,” she said.

Wilken’s diverse expertise has equipped her with skills that extend beyond selling. She has a background in architecture and interior design as well as marketing and sales and worked for large developers and before entering the real-estate field in the mid-1970s. She consulted on all of those areas.

“I wore four different hats, so I knew who buyers were and knew what they wanted,” Wilken said. “I’ve always been multifaceted. To me, that’s what kept me excited about my profession.”

Wilken earned her real-estate license so she could handle transactions from beginning to end. When she started her firm, she hired agents who were experts in areas all over the city, even if their expertise was not specifically in real estate. Interior designers, bankers and golf professionals are on her team.

“I wanted to find agents that were multifaceted. I wanted people who knew their stuff,” she said.

Scottsdale homeowner Mark Folger has enlisted Wilken’s assistance, twice in selling and twice in purchasing a home, a total of four transactions within 20 months.

Folger and his wife downsized after their children moved out. But when his daughter moved back home, they needed to upsize.

Folger had dealt with other brokers and agents in the past, but called Wilken “the best of the group,” and credited her with making the buying and selling processes “pretty painless.” He was impressed with the level of service, which included referrals for jobs like painting and plumbing, and accessibility any time of day.

“I tip my hat to Sandra in terms of leadership. She hired a complementary team and their complementary skills were far better than most,” Folger said.

Wilken’s versatility helped pull her firm through a recession that wounded the industry. She saw the toll it took on competitors who worked for large companies and considered what could happen to her as a business owner.

Wilken took jobs with banks that reclaimed and sold foreclosed houses. In this capacity, she dealt with properties ranging from $150,000 to $10 million, she said.

“I took a good hard look at where we can have a niche where we can weather the storm. It helped us through the tough times,” Wilken said.

Wilken was prepared to help banks sell $7.5 million homes for less than half that price. But working with families that were losing their homes was the job that she and her staff never got used to.

“People were losing their most prized possession. Not only was it difficult business wise, but it was difficult helping clients in total need. We’d go home at night and be totally exhausted,” she recalled. “Thank god it’s better now.”

Last year, Wilken started to see a positive turn in supply and demand. Waiting for a better deal is a negotiating tactic that current buyers can no longer take for granted. Current sellers are also more willing to list a property at a fair price, Wilken said. When that happens, the sale often happens within the first 30 days, she said.

When Engel & Völkers approached Wilken last fall, she already had many international clients. The company was looking to partner with a Scottsdale firm because it noticed a trend with European clientele seeking homes in the sunny and warm Arizona desert. After an interview process, hers was selected out of five prospects, Wilken said, making hers the first Engel & Völkers in the state.

Being surrounded by colleagues and staff that are positive and the best at what they do have contributed to Wilken’s success, she said.

“We have fun every day. I’m fortunate to be able to delegate jobs that they can do better than me, so everything I love to do is what I’m doing,” Wilken said. “After being in this business for 38 years, I get up every morning still excited about what I do.”

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